Sporting News examines the biggest college hoops games of the weekend (all times ET): (Note: For more on the ACC’s two biggest games Saturday—Maryland at No. 1 Duke and North Carolina at No. 18 N.C. State—check out the preview of our annual Tobacco Road trip tripleheader.)

NO. 13 MICHIGAN STATE AT NO. 7 INDIANA

The tip: Sunday, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Warm-up drill: After an amazing slate of basketball last Saturday, this weekend’s schedule is light on the heavy-hitter matchups. In fact, this Sunday game in Bloomington is the only matchup between top 25 teams all weekend. It shouldn’t disappoint, though. The visiting Spartans have won six consecutive Big Ten games, including a road game Tuesday against the same Wisconsin team that just won at Indiana last week. Tom Izzo’s team can make plays down the stretch of close games—three of those conference wins (at Iowa, vs. Ohio State, at Wisconsin) were decided by three points or fewer. The Hoosiers have had a chance to lick their wounds from a surprising home loss to Wisconsin with wins against Northwestern and Penn State. How will they respond in this test against the always-physical Spartans?

NO. 14 NEW MEXICO AT SAN DIEGO STATE

The tip: Saturday 4 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

Warm-up drill: The host Aztecs dropped out of the top 25 this week—bad news for a potential Steve Alford bonus—but that doesn’t make this any less of an imposing game for the visiting Lobos. Alford’s team is 4-0 in the rugged Mountain West, and three of those wins have come against potential NCAA Tournament teams (UNLV, Colorado State, Boise State), but there are few breaks offered in the MWC schedule. New Mexico went 2-1 against San Diego State last season, including a nine-point in the MWC Tournament championship game.

Inside stat: 5. San Diego State senior guard James Rahon has played 417 minutes this season and committed just five turnovers; his turnover percentage of .048 (according to kenpom.com) is easily the best mark in the nation. He doesn’t score much—season average of 6.4 points—but has earned 24 minutes per game in MWC play because he is reliable with the ball.

NO. 12 MINNESOTA AT WISCONSIN

The tip: Saturday, 2 p.m. (Big Ten Network)

Warm-up drill: Both of these Big Ten contenders need a victory. The visiting Golden Gophers followed up two brutal games—losses at Indiana and at home against Michigan—with an unexpected loss on the road at Northwestern. Unfortunately for Tubby Smith’s team, the place to get well isn’t against the tempo-controlling Badgers at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin has lost back-to-back games—at Iowa, vs. Michigan State—after upending Indiana in Bloomington.

Inside stat: 18.5. Minnesota senior Trevor Mbakwe has been a force on the offensive boards, pulling down 18.5 percent of the Golden Gophers’ missed shots. That’s fifth-best in the country.

OVERTIME

No. 3 Syracuse at Villanova, Saturday, 11 a.m. (ESPNU). Not that Big East teams ever take trips to Philadelphia lightly, but the Wildcats’ upset of Louisville on Tuesday has SU on high alert.

No. 5 Louisville at Georgetown, Saturday, noon (ESPN). OK, Georgetown, we give up. There’s no way to know which Hoyas team will show up—the one that crushed Notre Dame in South Bend, or the one that lost to Pitt by 28 at home. But, we will watch.

Temple at No. 9 Butler, Saturday, 6 p.m. (ESPN2). One thing is pretty sure—this game will be close. Butler has played four A-10 games, and three have been decided by six points or fewer.

No. 11 Kansas State at Iowa State, Saturday 1:45 p.m. (Big 12 Network, espn3.com). Iowa State is talented enough to make the NCAA Tournament, but the Cyclones must start beating good teams like Kansas State to build a tournament-quality resume.

Washington at No. 16 Oregon, Saturday, 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Network). Washington started the Pac-12 season with a 4-0 record before losing to Utah and Oregon State; any remote hopes of staying in the race rely on beating the Ducks.

La Salle at No. 19 VCU, Saturday, 8 p.m. (CBS College Sports). The host Rams squandered a seven-point lead in the final 36 seconds of a road loss to Richmond on Thursday. How will coach Shaka Smart’s team respond?

Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State, Saturday, 4 p.m. This is a fascinating battle of strengths. Northwestern State (11-6, 5-2 Southland) is averaging an NCAA-high 85.0 points per game with an adjusted tempo of 74.9 possessions (second in the country). Stephen F. Austin (16-1, 7-0) is allowing an NCAA-low 49.4 points, with an adjusted tempo of 62.0 possessions (326th in the country).

UCLA at Arizona State, Saturday, 4 p.m. (Fox Sports Net). Arizona State needs this win much more than UCLA, but the Bruins are riding a massive wave of confidence after their win at No. 6 Arizona on Thursday night.

Saint Louis at St. Bonaventure, Saturday, 4 p.m. (Fox Sports Midwest). The Bonnies are back home after a pair of stunning Atlantic 10 road victories—at Temple and at Saint Joseph’s—pulled them back to .500 for the season.

No. 2 Michigan at Illinois, Sunday, 6 p.m. (Big Ten Network). Remember what we said about Georgetown earlier? The same goes for Illinois.

Florida State at No. 25 Miami, Sunday, 6 p.m. (ESPNU). This is pretty much a last-gasp scenario for Florida State. The Seminoles need signature victories, but beating a healthy—and confident—Hurricanes team on the road might be too much to ask.